Wilmar (the) Tamper - Official Work Thread

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

There are photos on the WW&F FB page.

[Bill Sample]

I just emailed a friend in Australia the news.  He will be pleased to learn that Wilmar landed at its new home at the WW&F on January 26, a very much celebrated holiday (Australia Day) in its native land.   

[Jeff Schumaker]

I just emailed a friend in Australia the news.  He will be pleased to learn that Wilmar landed at its new home at the WW&F on January 26, a very much celebrated holiday (Australia Day) in its native land.

An appropriate day.

Jeff S.

[Ted Miles]

Does anyone know the brand name of the tamper and year it was built?  I should like to Google the company to read all about it.

Ted Miles, Life Member.

[Harold Downey]

Ted, see the first post in this thread, by Wayne

[John Kokas]

Re-activating this thread and asking some questions:

Has anyone stepped forward to lead and coordinate the maintenance and repair of Wilmar?  There are those of us who will be willing to come up and spend some time working on Wilmar but trying to lead it from afar does not seem practical.

Also, has a budget line been established for parts and any needed contract type work for Wilmar.  And lastly, there was mention of someone from the B&ML who was going to look over and startup training on Wilmar - is that going to happen?

[Jason M Lamontagne]

Some quick answers:

Wilmar is awaiting its turn in the shop for a complete mechanical inspection and development of repair plan.  We’ve already noted some concerns which are a little beyond the scope of “insignificant” but have not reached “intimidating.”  We have had several explicit offers of help on this shop project including competent leadership- all of this work will be coordinated through our normal shop management channels.  The maintenance of the machine will be handled similarly.  In general we are tightening up these protocols for all mechanical railroad equipment; Wilmar will be part of the team (as opposed to standing alone).  Our Annual Funddrive budget had been supporting the acquisition and repair of Wilmar as it relates to the Mountain Extension.  We have an existing budget for Railroad Equipment Maintenance.

While we have had at least 3 offers of outside expert instruction for operating the machine, we must remember we have in-house tamper experience, not only operating Big Joe for 10+ years, but with our own Joe Fox’s experience running a tamper very similar to our Wilmar for several years at another New England heritage railroad.  We always welcome volunteer help, and if Wilmar presents challenges which warrant seeking specific outside advice, we will be sure to do so.  It is premature to be scheduling machine training as the mechanics need to be sound first. 

Wilmar is currently outside shop bay 1, as bay 1 is about to be staged for installation of an air compressor loft.  Once that is complete Wilmar will come inside for its inspection and repair work.

Thanks all,
Jason

[Joe Fox]

Though every machine has its own “charm” if you will, tampers are overall much easier to operate than tie inserters. But both machines can drastically “ruin” track in a split second.

As far as museums or other railroads go, we are very fortunate to have such a wide array of people with different qualifications doing different things. But even better than those with the experience is those who so eagerly are willing to train and share their knowledge.

[Wayne Laepple]

Joe is absolutely correct. When folks with the knowledge and experience are willing to offer us help, we are foolish if we refuse.

The difference between Big Joe and Wilmar is the difference between a handcar and a locomotive. The speed and power of Wilmar is not something to trifle with, and again as Joe noted, it is very easy to make a mistake that will take hours and hours of labor to correct. I hope the Powers That Be will reconsider accepting help from people with experience. Who knows, they may become regular volunteers!

[Alan Downey]

We are REALLY excited to finally have Wilmar on home rails! But nobody is suggesting that thoughtful training and careful usage won't be necessary. If anything this is a request to "tap the brakes", and let the shop forces do a thorough and careful assessment of necessary repairs before we consider scheduling any kind of training- regardless of it's source. As Jason said, the very cursory inspection that has been done thus-far has already indicated a need for a total "going over". We want to make sure that when Wilmar is put into service, that the potential for subsequent downtime is reduced. Frankly, it's been a hard year for us in the repairs department as time caught up with a lot of equipment this year. We'd like to take the time now to try and nip problems in the bud before we start relying on it during prime track maintenance season, or have something pop up in the midst of training. We just want to get a handle on the mechanical side of the machine before we start talking seriously about scheduling training  . We're very pointedly trying not to rush into anything, even though we are all eagerly awaiting seeing it out on the line doing it's job.

[Mike Fox]

Even though the plan is to thoroughly go over Wilmar, I would not be suprised if something were to break. It is mechanical after all. It is the nature of the machine. That is why the rebar is on some of the repairs. It is what they had in the field to work with to keep it working.

Plus, as the new operators learn the machine, mistakes are bound to happen causing a problem. That is how you learn. Make a mistake. Realize it was a mistake and learn from it.  Very few people are going to get it right the first time.

[John Kokas]

Of all the MOW equipment I have operated over the years there is only one which breaks down on a more regular basis than a tamper and that's a brush hog / cutter.  The reason is simple, take a heavy rotating object and slam it into something stationary over and over again.  Something similar happens to tampers, that being the shock of oscillating tamper heads and stationary ground and rock.  I once watched a Canron Mark I tamper go through 3 tool heads in the space of a mile.  Now that was a unit with a lot of miles and little maintenance but under sufficient strain anything will let loose on a tamper.  Normally you'll first see it at hydraulic connections and then hoses themselves.  I can think of at least 4 people who have run tampers in the past.; Joe F, Wayne L, myself, and one of the guys I usually see on work-weekends from the West Chester RR although I can't remember his name.  IMHO if we have someone who does it as their weekday job, make them the trainer for the rest of us.

[Wayne Laepple]

Under no circumstances would I consider myself to be an "experienced" tamper operator. I have run a tamper a couple or three times over a short stretch of track, but in each case there was a highly experienced operator standing next to me. I have run one raising low joints a few times as well. I was one of the first people to operate Big Joe, but only because I got up on the seat first! I don't see myself operating Wilmar on any kind of regular basis since I may only get to Maine a couple of times a year. I would certainly yield my opportunity to someone who does it on a frequent basis.

[John Kokas]

Hey Wayne,  relax - I said people who have run tampers, not professional tamper operators.  I have quite a few hours on tampers but that was a long time ago and I don't consider myself an expert by any stretch.  But I have observed the good, the bad, and the ugly, and I have learned what to look out for based on watching others blow things up.  (except my shattered hydraulic arm on a Kershaw ballast regulator that scared the hell out of me.)

[Mike Fox]

Assesment work has begun with Wilmar. Some deficiencies were noted, and a plan is being developed to fix these. It will take time and money (hint, hint). Jason is not expecting this to be in-service this year, to allow time to do a proper unhurried almost rebuild or the tamper. The machine is very used, and investing the time now will allow us to have a better machine when it is ready. It was started on Wednesday to check the motor. It will be started again to check the functionality of all the functions to make sure there are no unseen issues.

Here is the engine compartment with the panels removed.